I am abour to weld a mustang 2 crossmember in my 32 roadster but i am unsure of how much, if at all, i should tilt the crossmember backwards. the crossmember is all cleaned up and the chassis is in the same angle with the ground as it would be when driveing.

now my question is. how do i find out what the correct angle with the ground is, should the bolts fo rthe lower controll arms be level with the ground, or how do i assure that the KPI angle is correct when its time to go driveing.

and what should the KPI be on a 106´´ wheelbase car with mustang2 front end that is to be driven hard ?

deuce,i saw your post and checked my books. not one gave a degree of tilt for the crossmember or kingpins. they did show that on mustang ii suspensions the upper control arm is mounted so the forward end of the arm is higher than the rearward when mounted. the lower arm is mounted that it ends up being level at ride height,that`s with all the weight on it. i do know you want positive camber,i just cant find how much. i tried to check it on my 34 but whoever borrowed my protractor has not returned it yet (i cant remember who asked to use it!). i am really curious now, let us know how you do it and what angle. good luck.

Ok Deuce, Is this a stock stang front end I mean you cut it out of a stang. or are you fabing up your own crossmember. If you are using the stock crossmember make sure the crossmember is level front to back because the antidive angle is built in. if you are not sure level it then lean it back 3 degrees and you will be safe

Lou

Where do you measure for the angle. from the flat of the crossmember or from the top part where it welds on? I am putting one under a model a (total performance frame). I thought it looked like there was built in angle, but I wasn't sure.

I have put stock x-members in two cars with the center of the x-member level to the world w/ car at ride stance. Front end shops haven't put a contract out on me, so it must be close!

jaj

Ok, nother question (or two). I am just clamping it to the frame and pondering how it should get permanently attached at this point. The Model A frame is tapered pretty radically, whereas the mustang frame is straight. I have about a quarter inch gap at the back and 5/8 at the front. What's the best way to fill it?

Other question. Right now, I have it stripped down to the bare x-member. the frame is also naked and I haven't started with the rear end yet, so at this point, I have no clue what the ride stance is going to look like. How much higher will the rear-end of the frame be than the front? Do I have to do the rear end and reassemble the x-member before I can weld it to the frame or will it be right if the top of the x-member sits flat on top of the frame?

One more question while I'm wound up. I was thinking of welding the x-member to some flat stock (1/4 inch or so) then bolting it to the frame. That way, if I decided I wanted to go with a traditional dropped axle at a later time, I could just unbolt it and bolt on the new one. Does this sound feasible or should I just weld the damn thing on and drive it?

I know I have a lot of questions, but I have found it easier to do it right the first time than to try to unweld it later.

thanx guys, the crossmember is a FoMoCo unit that a mustang2 buff in lousiana sent me, so ill go with Lou's advice. i have set the frame in the angle that i want the car when running. so ill weld it in level with the ground and figure out what length to cut the coils when the car is assembled.

deuce,there may be no need to cut coils. in the original car the motor is directly above the crossmember. in a street rod the motor is usually behind the center of the crossmember. with the weight of the motor a few inches back of the crossmember you can use the stock 6cyl springs for a big block or the 4cyl car springs for a small block and have a good ride.also there are some after market springs made so if you know the weight of the car(over the front wheels)they will sell you the correct springs for your set up. alot of rodders made the mistake of installing the v8 springs and had rough rides because of the weight centers being in different locations between a rod and a donor car. luck with you ride.

As far as how deep to set the x-member in the frame, assume the lower A-arm will be level when the car is finished and back calculate where the frame needs to be in the x-member cradle. For the '36 Pontiac and '37 Willys pickup that I did the installation on, the upper A-arm towers were about 2" in front and 1 1/2" in back higer than the top of the frame. I'm guessing at those dimensions but the point is, the x-member top sticks quite a bit higher than the frame. On the Willys I had to cut 16 gauge filler plates to fill the gap between the x-member and the too narrow frame while on the Pontiac I had to notch the frame 'cause the x-member was too narrow by about 1/2". The Pontiac has a double wall frame so only the outer wall needed th be nothced.

Your idea of making a bolt-in bracket should work fine. One recommendation I always make is to use the stock Mustang II rear trailing arm brackets bolted to the frame with the stock thick rubber mounting donuts and to modify and use the secondary x-member that fits between these brackets. I have seen too many cars that use a flimsy welded on trailing arm brackets that have cracked and broken off the frame. Alternative solution is to use a pair of the aftermarket lower A-arm brackets that eliminate the trailing arms.

OK guys, Here it is. I did this on my A coupe 14 years ago, no problems with alignment, ride or anything else. Your stock M-II crossmember has a factory setup of 11 degrees caster. Set your frame up at the desired ride height and level it side to side. locate the center line across the frame front crossmember and across the M-II crossmember. raise the M-II crossmenber up under the frame crossmember until it touches. The M-II crossmember will have to be level with the floor, front to rear and side to side. Check the measurement from a set point like the index holes in the upper spring saddles (just behind the upper shock holes) back the rear axel centerline on both sides. This should be right on. Tack weld the M-II to the frame whereever it touches. Now you have to cut filler plates and weld them in to close the gaps. Put the lower control arms on and clamp a piece of angle iron to the front edge of the crossmember so that the control arms sit level with the bottom of the crossmember. Install your strut rods and fabricate your strut brackets to the frame using the rods as your reference. The lower control arms must stay level. The geometry on these things only works if you don't mess with it. The wheel base on the M-II's are very close to Model A and B fords. The Front end will be aligned using stock M-II specs. Use the 4 cyl springs and cut one full wrap off. Don't know about the 32's but on a Model A the fenders won't clear the upper control arms. I modified the fenders with little relief fairings. I've seen some M-II's that were widened and the owners regretted it.

hey, hows it going? well id like to first ask you why you went with the mustang 2? if that is what you like thats fine to. i have a 33 chevy 5 window coupe with a 427 chevy in it and i used a wishbone straight axle front end on my 33. now what you do is you split the wishbone and run the two sides as radius rods to a bracket welded on the frame. the point im trying to make is you can get a disk brake conversion kit for the stock 30s front ends. i am running a fenderless car, you might be running fenders so in your case the mustang set up is the way to go. when i set my front end in, i pitched it about 5 degrees, kind of like a dragster. if you put it straight or foward you may have steering and alignment problems.

All you fellows wanting to put a mustangII in your frames: Make sure the crossmember is square in the frame and have it level front to back and side to side. You can set your ride hiegth by the hiegth of the crossmember in the frame. I cut a piece out of the crossmember for the frame rails to set down into. I leave about 1 to 1 1/2" of metal above the lower control arm bolts and this will give a really low stance. In a 1937 Chevy there about 4" from the bottom of the radator shell to the ground depending on tire size with 15" wheels. I weld mine in but if you want to bolt it in be sure and put pipe in the frame for crush tubes. Bolt ins are hard to keep tight. Also you can make these wider or narrower but you will need to work on the rack to fit. [Stock crossmember.]

I know Im late but I think the Mustang 2 front suspension has a 14 degree tilt/slope to the rear, this gives it it anti dive and non bump steer. This is why its used so much (I think)
i have a cobra "kit" car (arnt all rods these day kit cars?)that uses this front end.

thanx db, its a little late to change as the frame is 95 % done and the x-member is welded firmly in place

I have done approx 15 Must II, all were given 3 degree positive caster........Don